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CCSG Kicks Off Year’s Councils

Council of Commonwealth Student Government (CCSG) Vice President Justin Cortes expressed his satisfaction in front of a packed room in the HUB on Saturday. This had been the first Council weekend for some time that every campus across the Commonwealth was in attendance. President Peter Khoury echoed Cortes’ statements as the council adjourned. The weekend was filled with anticipation, as an already productive semester was under way.

On Saturday morning, Dr. Robert N. Pangborn, Vice President and Dean for Undergraduate Education; and Dr. Yvonne Gaudelius, Assistant Vice President and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education; spoke to the 19 campuses about programs offered to students to make the transition from their Commonwealth campus to University Park easier. Due to campus proximity, for some students, becoming familiar with University Park before attending as a Junior or Senior can be a challenge.

Programs such as “Link U.P.” and “Step” make this transition less stressful. Link U.P. is a program that is offered in the fall for all Commonwealth students interested in transitioning to University Park. Each campus buses students to University Park, where they are informed about differences in academic structure, tuition, housing, and advising. The program is designed so that students can make a more informed decision regarding their own Penn State education.

Step is another program that helps transitioning students become acclimated with University Park. Each campus across the Commonwealth is unique, and therefore, class size and structure differs from campus to campus. Step was created for students who are juniors studying business, or kinesiology. Those students are able to attend classes here the summer before their junior year at University Park. Classes offered are ones that students need for their major, and are kept to a 24-person capacity.

Following the guest speakers, students from each campus attended committee breakout sessions where they continued conversations sparked by Dr. Pangborn and Dr. Gaudelis.

As Council reconvened for new business and open forum, the new Constitutional Review Committee Members (CRC) were voted on and approved. The Penn State Sportsmanship team, PRIDE., spoke to advocate the endorsement of The Big Ten Sportsmanship and Spirit Fan Code to the council, which was also approved.

Did you know that 60% of all Penn State graduates started their education at a Commonwealth Campus? As part of that percentage, I took advantage of the many services and activities offered at my former campus, Penn State Altoona. It had all the same amenities as a large campus, in a more intimate setting. Upon transitioning to the University Park campus this past fall, I was ready to apply the life lessons that I had learned at Altoona, and jump right in. I quickly came to realize, however, that Penn State University Park is a campus divided.

A Pennsylvania Disciplinary Board hearing began on Tuesday in Pittsburgh for former Penn State general counsel Cynthia Baldwin, who is accused of violating rules of professional conduct in her representation of former university administrators during the Jerry Sandusky investigation.